‘Community pastor’ in western Kentucky dies at 64 after stroke

Scott Ford was pastor of Maeco Baptist Church in Owensboro for 32 years. He died Tuesday at 64 following a stroke. (Owensboro Messenger Inquirer photo)

OWENSBORO, Ky. (KT) – A longtime Baptist pastor in western Kentucky is being fondly remembered following his death Tuesday after suffering a stroke.

Rev. Scott Ford was pastor of Maceo Baptist Church for the past 32 years. He was 64.

Kenny Williams, a deacon and music minister at Maceo, told the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer that Ford was “a community pastor.”

"He was kind of a shepherd to any and everyone. It didn't matter your faith, if you had ever been to church or whatever. He was just a true, loving man who represented Christ in such a beautiful way," Williams told the newspaper.

Ford, who grew up in Owensboro and graduated from Owensboro High School in 1972, attended Hall Street Baptist Church. He was called to the ministry as a senior in high school but struggled in his days growing up from being blind in his right eye.

That disability, however, led him to college and into the seminary. A scholarship from the Kentucky Bureau for the Blind paid all but $2,000 of the cost of attending Kentucky Wesleyan College and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

"Growing up, especially in my teenage years, I was kind of angry at God" because of his vision problem, Ford told the Messenger-Inquirer in 2007. The day he received his scholarship, he said he felt God saying, "Now do you understand?"

After college, Ford led a church in Henderson for six years. From there, he was hired in 1987 to lead Maceo Baptist Church.

"He preached the Bible and never tried to soft-pedal it," said Tony Rowe, a 30-year member and former music minister at Maeco. “He preached the Gospel and I think that's one of the reasons why he was so well respected and why his ministry was so blessed."

Ford was also active in the Daviess-McLean Baptist Association. He was currently serving as chairman of its personnel committee.

Funeral arrangements have yet to made by the family.

Williams said Ford was an organ donor and the family had to go through that process first.

He added that Ford embodied John 3:15 that reads, "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."

"He didn't care about church membership or anything like that," Williams said. "He just wanted to win people to Christ."